


Milestones

by getyourfaceoutofmyface



Category: Unter Uns
Genre: Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2019-04-30 06:53:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14491275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/getyourfaceoutofmyface/pseuds/getyourfaceoutofmyface
Summary: How Ringsy celebrates their milestones.





	Milestones

They’d never discussed anniversaries or whether they would celebrate them, or even recognize them. It just sort of happened.

On the one month marking of Easy stopping Ringo from going to Milan, and making the biggest mistake of his life (Ringo’s words, but Easy readily agreed) they woke up wrapped in each other’s arms in Easy’s bed. Tobias had a work trip out of town the night before so they’d enjoyed just being together outside of prying and questioning eyes. It was slowly getting better but Ringo wished sometimes he could take Easy away from it all.

Easy gave him a quick kiss on the lips and then detangled himself from Ringo’s arms. He started making coffee and Ringo got dressed for the day. Ringo didn’t have to go to the gym so he planned on spending the day doing some job hunting.

When Easy came back into the bedroom Ringo was just doing up his dress shirt and about to put on his suit jacket.

“Oh wait, I have something better Ringo.”

Then Easy went into his closet and pulled out a hanger covered in a black zippered bag. He turned to Ringo and actually looked almost shy.

“So I saw this in a store window and I knew instantly you had to have it.”

Confused Ringo unzipped the bag and underneath was the most beautiful blue cardigan he’d ever seen. He touched it, running his fingers over the soft cashmere. This was expensive, not so much to be outlandish but more then he thought Easy could afford right now.

But he loved it.

Easy smiled brightly at him.

“Put it on!”

Easy held it up so Ringo could put his arms in and then came around to adjust the collar and smooth his chest.

“You have to see this in the mirror. It makes your eyes glow, just like I knew it would.”

Ringo just starred wordlessly at Easy, his face so expressionless that Easy started to worry. Ringo’s taste in clothes were so different from his own but he thought for sure his boyfriend would at least like it.

“Ringo do you not…”

But then his face was caught in Ringo’s hands and the most delicate of kisses was laid on his lips. Then another. Than another. Until he was being feathered with assaults of the most beautiful kind.

The look in Ringo’s eyes when he pulled back could only be described as adoring and in that moment Easy felt almost 10 feet tall.

“It is gorgeous. I love it. Thank you Easy.”

They just gazed at each other for a moment and even though Easy could stay like this all day he knew he had work to do.

They had coffee and more kisses and Easy rejoiced in what today was, what it was marking and he was glad he had been able to make Ringo happy. That was all he needed to celebrate.

The next morning however he woke up alone. Looking for a note on his bedside table, which Ringo usually left him if he got up early for a run, he noticed instantly a framed photo that hadn’t been there when Ringo and him had gone to sleep.

In a sleek black frame was the photo of the couple at their friend’s wedding. Ringo gazing adoringly at Easy, while Easy looked at the camera. It was by far one of Easy’s favourite shots of them together. Seeing how much Ringo loved him captured for eternity always took his breath away a little. And now it was framed for him to wake up to every morning.

God he loved that man.

A small folded piece of paper was propped up beside the frame.

“Gone for coffee and a treat. Stay in bed. XO”

Correction, Easy was head over heels in love with that man.

 

*****

Each month continued in the same way. Neither of them said anything but they did small things for each other to mark the milestones as they passed.

At two months Ringo had his first pay cheque from his new business associate job so he treated Easy to a night out of dancing and drinks. Easy gave Ringo a mug with a photo of Stinker on it for his desk at work. It made Ringo smile every time he used it.

For three months Easy made them a picnic in the park, where they could enjoy unusual warm spring weather. Ringo got Easy’s favourite wine and they stayed on their blanket all afternoon just talking and laughing and holding hands.

For four months Ringo showed up at Easy’s door with a single red rose. And Easy, well let’s just say his gift involved handcuffs and a sexual fantasy Ringo shared with his boyfriend one night after one too many beers.

The night of their 5 month anniversary Ringo took Easy to a work event and introduced him to his boss and coworkers. Everyone already knew who he was, asked him questions about his photography and the pride he saw on Ringo’s face every time he said “This is my boyfriend Ingo.” made Easy melt. The next day when Ringo was pulling money out of his wallet to pay for lunch he found a small heart made out of card stock with the “RB + IW 4Ever” written on it tucked in his billfold.

With six months coming Ringo knew he wanted to do something special. It was over a week away and he’d had his eye on a lens he knew Easy had been wanting. It was that or taking him to see a band Easy loved but Ringo hated. Knowing how happy it would make Easy was worth the sacrifice.

On his walk home from work he was still mulling over his options when his phone rang. A photo of Easy blowing a kiss to him popped up on his screen and he chuckled.

“When did you change your photo on my phone?” Ringo asked without saying hello.  
Easy’s warm laughter in his ear sounded like music.

“Last night when you abandoned me for a shower.”

“I can never leave you alone can I?”

“Well you can but you know I prefer when you don’t.”

Ringo couldn’t help but smile.

“Speaking of abandonment I have good news and I have bad news. Which do you want first?”

Surprisingly Ringo wasn’t worried, the bad him and Easy had been through couldn’t really ever be topped in his mind. Plus he trusted him.

“Give me the good news.”

“I got a photography job that is out of this world. I mean I’ve been working my way back but I never thought it would happen this soon. An up and coming designer wants me to photograph his new collection for his website. A three day location shoot.”

Easy was bubbling with excitement and Ringo couldn’t help but be caught up in it.

“Babe that is amazing!”

“I know. He found my fantastic website, designed by my talented boyfriend and he said my style and aesthetic was exactly what he’d been searching for.”

“Your work is gorgeous, he’s a smart man.”

Easy’s happy hum reached Ringo’s ears.

“Wait you said bad news, what’s the bad news?”

“Well its a three day shoot, I’ll be gone for two nights and I wouldn’t be home until late next Saturday, if not early Sunday morning.”

“Ahhh.”, was Ringo’s response. The six month anniversary would be Saturday. The day they hadn’t talked about but knew was coming, knew was important and could now possibly be missed.

“I accepted but you say the word and I’ll cancel. You are the most important thing in my world.”

“And you are the most important thing in mine but this is an opportunity you would be insane to turn down. I’ll have a nice romantic meal waiting for you whenever you get home next weekend, no matter what time of day or night it is. Easy I am so proud of you.”

And he was, he really was.

“I’m just walking home, I’m around 15 minutes away. Do you want me to pick you up anything or?”

“No just come to my place when you’re ready. I’m making us dinner. Should be ready in 30 minutes.”

“Perfect, see you soon. Love you.”

“And I love you Richard Beckman.”

*****

The next morning Ringo was back from his run and doing his final stretches in the lobby. He’d spent every minute of his feet hitting the pavement trying to find the perfect gift for Easy. Ringo really was happy for him but at the same time he felt a wave of guilt he’d not had in months. Seeing his boyfriend so excited for his shoot and for the opportunity to prove himself just reminded Ringo what he’d done to Easy and how he’d almost taken his dreams away from him. He knew it was in the past and that Easy forgave him but still, he wanted to do everything he could to support him. A concert or a new lens didn’t feel big enough.

The building manager came into the lobby, taped something to the wall, nodded at Ringo and headed up the stairs.

Ringo glanced at the piece of paper and a smile spread over his face. Perfect.

He carefully peeled the paper off the wall and jogged up the steps to catch up to the manager and put his plan in motion.

*****

Easy was so glad to be heading home. The shoot had been amazing and had reinforced his belief that this was what he was meant to do. It was his best work yet and the designer was already asking Easy if he was available to shoot his new and edgy wedding dress collection. He’d shown Easy some preliminary sketches and they’d talked for over an hour about shoot concepts and models.

But two nights sleeping without Ringo had been restless. They’d talked and texted constantly and Ringo was as always, supportive and listened to him ramble excitedly about the contacts he’d made and the lightening techniques he’d tried on the models.

Yet mostly Ringo had been quiet on their talks. When Easy asked what he was up to he’d say just watching TV or hanging with everyone. He could hear Bambi’s laugh in the background, sometimes Elli saying something muffled and even one time he thought he heard Tobias shout something like “Don’t touch that, it’s wet!” But then everything got quiet and Ringo told him he loved him and had to go.

It made Easy happy that his friends were once again Ringo’s too but he did hate missing out on the fun. Thankfully his flight was early enough that he’d be home by 9:00 . Not enough for an anniversary dinner but perfect for a drink and some alone time, plus Easy couldn’t wait to give Ringo the gift he’d agonized over all month long. Luckily this job meant he could afford it with ease.

And there was Ringo, waiting outside the building, standing with his hands in his pockets and a big smile for Easy when the cab pulled up.

His bags were already out of the trunk and in Ringo’s arms when Easy climbed out of the vehicle after paying the driver.

He pressed his hands to Ringo’s chest and tilted his head up to press a soft kiss on his lips. Ringo leaned his forehead against Easy’s and sighed, “Missed you.”

Easy smiled and grabbed his hand.

“I missed you too. I’m so glad to be home.”

They made there way into the elevator and when Easy went to press the button to select which floor Ringo reached over him and pressed the floor below where their apartments were.

Easy shot Ringo a confused look but Ringo just winked at him and leaned in for another kiss and just kept kissing him until the elevator stopped.

Ringo took Easy’s hand and led him to a door down the hall. He then held up a key and placed it in Easy’s hand.

“Ringo what is going on, why are we here?”

“This my new place and that is your key to it.”

“Wait, you moved?!”

“Just down a floor. I can afford to have my own place now and it’s time. I know we never talked about moving in together and I would love that, I really would but I don’t want you to feel pressured, so until you’re ready for it to be officially “our” place it’s just technically my place. But you have a key and you can use it whenever you want. I want you to think of it as yours too.”

Easy was shocked. He’d always assumed they’d get here, but they’d never talked about it. Easy had daydreamed about it many times, even today on his flight home. The fact that Ringo was able to find an available apartment in their building was amazing and almost unbelievable.

“Hey, say something.”

Ringo looked at Easy with concerned eyes.

“Is this too fast? I’m sorry if it’s too much.”

Easy hushed him with a hand pressed to his cheek.

“Ringo it’s not too much or too fast. I’m just surprised. But this is amazing for you.”

“For us. Now open the door.”

Easy slid the key in and turned the lock. He opened the door and stepped inside to a condensed version of his and Tobias’s apartment. The walls were painted a soft white, freshly done by the looks of it. Other than that the place was bare.

Ringo dropped Easy’s bags and closed the door.

“Ringo you don’t have any furniture.”

“Well I didn’t want to pick out anything without you.”

Easy smiled softly and felt a bit silly how happy that made him. I mean not that his boyfriend had to furnish his place (their place?) with him but it was the fun part of it all.

Easy felt Ringo come up behind him and put his arm around his shoulders.

“I want to show you the best part.”

“There’s more?”

Ringo pulled him down to what Easy assumed was a den and stopped at the door. 

“So like I said I want you to move in but I can wait for that as long as you want. No rush. But this is most certainly our space.”

Then he slid open the doors and Easy gasped.

The room was set up like an office, with a long slim distressed wooden table running in the middle. There were identical sleek office chairs on each side. Some of Easy’s equipment was set up on shelves on the wall and displayed almost artistically. The room had been painted a soft gray with a strip of vibrant orange running through the wall around the room.

Empty matted frames of various sizes were hung on the wall in gallery like displays. A small glass front fridge filled with water, soda and beer was tucked in the corner. The space wasn’t huge but it was a seamless mixture of both his and Ringo’s styles and it was perfect.

“Before you say anything this is a shared office but you’ll use it more than me and I wanted it to be a place you could bring clients if you needed. Bambi hung the shelves. Elli helped me pick out the frames, which we left empty so you could put whatever of your work you wanted on display. Everyone helped paint and set it up. The fridge was Tobias’s idea, he said you forget to eat when you’re editing so we thought it would be a good reminder.”

Easy just kept glancing around, noticing something new and perfect about the space every time he did a pass. Ringo had done this for him. Their friends had helped Ringo do this, for him! Easy felt like he was going to burst with happiness.

*****

Ringo just watched Easy as he wandered around the space in a bit of a daze. Maybe it was too much? It had felt right to Ringo but that didn’t mean it was right for Easy. Yet when he’d broached the idea to Tobias even he’d been supportive of losing his roommate to his brother, which made it seem like fate. Like the right time.

But now Easy wasn’t saying anything and Ringo’s chest was getting tight. He just kept touching everything in wonderment. That was good right?

Easy finally looked at him and his eyes were glistening. Oh God it was too much.

“Richard Beckman you are the man of my dreams and nothing would make me happier than building a life with you, here, in this apartment.”

Ringo’s heart stopped.

And then it exploded in his chest like fireworks and this, this was what joy felt like. Then Easy was in his arms, his face pressed to Ringo’s neck and they were just holding each other. Easy held on tightly and Ringo ran his hands lovingly up and down Easy’s back.

They stayed like that for a few minutes and just existed in the that time and moment, knowing it was profound and special and theirs.

Then Easy pulled back to look Ringo in the eyes. He saw his own joy reflected there. He’d known six months ago he’d made the right choice going after Ringo but even he couldn’t have known how right it really would turn out to be.

“I can’t believe you did all of this for me.”

Ringo cupped Easy’s face in his hands.

“Easy I love you so much, I would do anything for you. Everything.”

“I love you too, more than anything.”

And then they were kissing like they were starved for each other. The need to show each other what they were feeling was overwhelming, this new phase of their saga both sweet and exciting.

****

Later they laid in bed, the only piece of furniture in the whole apartment outside of the office space, looking at couches and dining sets online and discussing what colour to paint the bathroom. They were leaning more towards the merits of going with a dark navy blue when Easy remembered he hadn’t given Ringo his present yet and left the bed to get his bag.

He returned and placed a small box on Ringo’s lap.

“Easy, you didn’t need to get me anything.”

“Shh, just open it.”

Ringo opened the small hinged box to find a pair of cuff links nestled in velvet. They were shiny polished silver and had the initials “RB” engraved on the heavy squares of metal.

“Easy these are too much.”

Easy just took a cuff link out of the box and turned it over. On the other side of cuff link was another small engraving with the words “Easy loves…”

“See. It’s a little secret message. Easy loves RB, which is you, and I do.”

Ringo squeezed his hand and pulled him in for a kiss.

“I love them, they’re perfect, you’re perfect.”

He shut the box and placed it carefully on the floor on his side of the bed. He then shut Easy’s laptop and laid down on his side.

Easy got up to turn off the bedroom light and climbed back into bed and Ringo’s waiting arms. They’d planned on spending their Sunday moving the rest of their stuff slowly into the apartment and though Easy was exhausted he couldn’t wait to get started. In his head he was already thinking of making a print that said Ringo to go over their bed to match the Easy one he’d made for himself. Was that too cutesy? Easy didn’t have it in him to care if it was.

Easy felt Ringo’s arms wrapped around him squeeze a little as he pressed his front to Easy’s back and placed a kiss to his neck.

“Thank you Easy for the best six months of my life.”

It took Easy a minute to find his voice so he took Ringo’s hand and kissed his palm before lacing their fingers together. He wondered sometimes if how he felt for Ringo would ever stop getting bigger and stronger, if his whole life was just now solely a bottomless well of love to feel and give. Did everyone get to be so lucky to feel love of this magnitude? All he knew is he wouldn’t waste it. Not a moment of it.

“Just wait, we have a lifetime to go.” Easy finally whispered. Ringo squeezed his hand and Easy fell asleep still feeling his boyfriend’s smile pressed into his neck and the weight of his arms holding him close.


End file.
